All posts tagged ‘Rachel Weisz’

1. What’s it about?Oz, the Great and Powerful is a prequel, drawing more from the other Oz books than the classic film, telling the story of how a small-town carnival magician named Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs (Oz for short, played by James Franco) finds himself swept away in his hot air balloon to the magical land of Oz, where he reluctantly becomes the reigning Wizard. Along the way, he meets three young witches; Theodora (Mila Kunis), a naive and innocent girl who only wants peace in the land; her older sister, the elegant and regal advisor to the late king and acting regent Evanora (Rachel Weisz); and the king’s daughter, Glinda (Michelle Williams). The interactions, relationships and schemes of these four drive the story and establish the world that young Dorothy will one day drop in on.

2. Will my kids like it?
The kids in the theater when I saw it loved it. It’s fun, dramatic, colorful, magical and a bit scary, in a fun “thrill ride” way.

3. Will I like it?
Yes, unless you’re just a really bitter and cynical person. They do a really good job of not letting the “virtual” characters become annoying; there’s no Jar-Jar here, and in fact the two CGI cast members are among the most appealing characters in the film. The porcelain China Girl (Joey King) is adorable and Finley the flying monkey (Zach Braff) remains charming and engaging throughout, though there are a couple of moments where you’ll definitely hear Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian in his delivery. The movement and facial expressions of these two virtual actors are incredible.

4. Is it worth paying more to see it in 3-D?
Yes. There are two long sequences, when Oscar arrives in Oz and when Glinda brings him to Munchkinland, that are essentially proof-of-concept trailers for the inevitable Oz theme park ride, and you really want to enjoy them in 3D. The first is basically Splash Mountain merged with the Jungle Cruise, and the second owes quite a bit to the flight to Neverland. Don’t think, just enjoy the ride. Sam Raimi knows how to use 3D effectively.

5. When’s the best time for a bathroom break?
As pretty and fun as those two extended travelogues are, not a lot of plot or character advancement goes on then, so if you gotta go, that’s the time.

Oscar “Oz” Diggs and Glinda the Good take the scenic route to her castle with China Girl and Finley along for the ride.

6. Are there any scary parts?
Oh yeah. The witch’s flying monkeys are terrifying. If you have a kid under the age of six, put him or her in your lap and be ready to deal with what’s coming, because these nightmare baboons, all teeth and claws and bat-wings, are coming right at you. A couple of times. With blood in their eyes and murder in their hearts. Personally, I think a good scare every now and then is good for kids; handling scary stuff in a movie can prepare them to handle scary stuff in real life. Just put your arms around them and assure them it’s going to be okay. There’s plenty of cute and lovely stuff to make up for the scares.

7. Will I want to see it again?
It probably won’t become a “beloved family classic” like the 1939 film, but it holds up to multiple viewings. In fact, the second time around you’ll notice little touches in the performances that went by the first time. Michelle Williams in particular is constantly showing just the right body language and facial expressions to convey what she’s thinking. The story is solid and the performances are good.

8. How does it compare to the classic Wizard of Oz, or even Wicked, for that matter?Oz, the Great and Powerful makes polite nods to the Judy Garland version, especially in the Kansas scenes, which are filmed in gorgeously bleak sepia-tone. As in the original (and Disney’s Return to Oz, and pretty much every version ever filmed except Baum’s original silent productions), there are characters in the real world who have dopplegangers in Oz. The ruby slippers never show up (though if they did, I expect they would have been silver, as in the book), there’s only one song, and the story carefully and deliberately avoids even hinting at Wicked. There’s a shout-out to the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion, but not a Tin Man to be seen, though we do get a hint of where he may have come from in the form of the Tinkers who play a major role in the battle for Oz. But this is a very different story; where the Wizard of Oz is Dorothy’s journey from scared little girl to resourceful young woman,and Wicked is the Wicked Witch of the West’s journey from awkward outsider to confident rebel, Oz is Oscar’s journey from flim-flam man to wise and wonderful wizard.

9: How are the performances?
The cast is top-notch, not only the leads, but also the secondary and minor characters; the Master Tinker (Bill Cobbs), for example, gives a solid performance. James Franco is particularly good at portraying this vain, selfish, manipulative cad, and shows his character’s growth into the man he will become quite convincingly. Michelle Williams makes Glinda a delicate fairytale angel with a spine of steel, and Rachel Weisz is a movie star in the classic tradition, every inch a queen, alternately charming and menacing and not at all afraid to get her hands dirty. Joey King, despite acting through a CGI face, gives a performance as nuanced and mature as anyone in the film. This kid is going places. If I had to cite a weak link in the cast, I have to say that Mila Kunis, who is extremely good in the first half of the film, really isn’t up to pulling off her role in the third act. She, like most TV-trained actors of her generation, lacks the vocal power to play such a theatrical role effectively, with the result that she comes off like a screeching teenager when she’s supposed to be menacing. Sadly, I can’t think of a single actress her age who could do that part better and still play the vulnerable little girl in the earlier scenes as convincingly.

10. Do I need to stay after the credits?
Nope. In fact, I’m usually a purist about sitting there and reading the credits all the way through to the final copyright notice, but this time I’m going to say get out while you can. The first part of the credits is fun, with lovely little animations and things to look at, but somewhere in the middle the pleasant and unobtrusive score suddenly stops and a jarring pop song, as generic as it’s possible to record without using robots, suddenly begins blaring. Usually the studios are a little better about transitioning to the obligatory song to sell the soundtrack album, but not this time; they might as well have put in the sound of a phonograph needle being dragged across the record.

All in all, Oz, the Great and Powerful is an extremely enjoyable popcorn-muncher of a movie, sure to end up in a lot of home DVD/Blu-Ray collections, but (and I never thought I’d say this) you really should see it in 3D on the big screen.